Judges 17:5
New International Version
Now this man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and some household gods and installed one of his sons as his priest.

New Living Translation
Micah set up a shrine for the idol, and he made a sacred ephod and some household idols. Then he installed one of his sons as his personal priest.

English Standard Version
And the man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and household gods, and ordained one of his sons, who became his priest.

Berean Standard Bible
Now this man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and some household idols, and ordained one of his sons as his priest.

King James Bible
And the man Micah had an house of gods, and made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.

New King James Version
The man Micah had a shrine, and made an ephod and household idols; and he consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.

New American Standard Bible
And the man Micah had a shrine and he made an ephod and household idols, and consecrated one of his sons, so that he might become his priest.

NASB 1995
And the man Micah had a shrine and he made an ephod and household idols and consecrated one of his sons, that he might become his priest.

NASB 1977
And the man Micah had a shrine and he made an ephod and household idols and consecrated one of his sons, that he might become his priest.

Legacy Standard Bible
And the man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and household idols and ordained one of his sons, and he became his priest.

Amplified Bible
Now the man Micah had a house of gods (shrine), and he made an ephod and teraphim and dedicated and installed one of his sons, who became his [personal] priest.

Christian Standard Bible
This man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and household idols, and installed one of his sons to be his priest.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
This man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and household idols, and installed one of his sons to be his priest.

American Standard Version
And the man Micah had a house of gods, and he made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.

Contemporary English Version
He had a shrine for worshiping God there at his home, and he had made some idols and a sacred priestly vest. Micah chose one of his own sons to be the priest for his shrine.

English Revised Version
And the man Micah had an house of gods, and he made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Micah owned a shrine. He also made an ephod and household idols. He ordained one of his sons to be his priest.

Good News Translation
This man Micah had his own place of worship. He made some idols and an ephod, and appointed one of his sons as his priest.

International Standard Version
This man Micah had his own shrine, had crafted his own ephod and some household idols, and had installed one of his sons as a priest.

Majority Standard Bible
Now this man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and some household idols, and ordained one of his sons as his priest.

NET Bible
Now this man Micah owned a shrine. He made an ephod and some personal idols and hired one of his sons to serve as a priest.

New Heart English Bible
The man Micah had a house of God, and he made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.

Webster's Bible Translation
And the man Micah had a house of gods, and made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.

World English Bible
The man Micah had a house of gods, and he made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
As for the man Micah, he has a house of gods, and he makes an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrates the hand of one of his sons, and he is for a priest to him;

Young's Literal Translation
As to the man Micah, he hath a house of gods, and he maketh an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrateth the hand of one of his sons, and he is to him for a priest;

Smith's Literal Translation
And the man Micah to him a house of gods; and he will make an ephod and a teraphim, and he will fill the hand of one of his sons, and he will be to him for priest.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he separated also therein a little temple for the god, and made an ephod, and theraphim, that is to say, a priestly garment, and idols: and he filled the hand of one of his sons, and he became his priest.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And he also separated in it a little shrine for the god. And he made an ephod and theraphim, that is, a priestly garment and idols. And he filled the hand of one of his sons, and he became his priest.

New American Bible
The man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and teraphim, and installed one of his sons, who became his priest.

New Revised Standard Version
This man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and teraphim, and installed one of his sons, who became his priest.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And the man Micah had a house of gods, and he made an ephod and a teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And the man Mikah had a house of gods, and he made an ephod and a breastplate, and he consecrated the hand of one of his sons, and he was a Priest to him
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And the man Micah had a house of God, and he made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the house of Michaias was to him the house of God, and he made an ephod and theraphin, and he consecrated one of his sons, and he became to him a priest.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Micah's Idolatry
4So he returned the silver to his mother, and she took two hundred shekels of silver and gave them to a silversmith, who made them into a graven image and a molten idol. And they were placed in the house of Micah. 5Now this man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and some household idols, and ordained one of his sons as his priest. 6In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.…

Cross References
Exodus 20:4
You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in the heavens above, on the earth below, or in the waters beneath.

Deuteronomy 27:15
‘Cursed is the man who makes a carved idol or molten image—an abomination to the LORD, the work of the hands of a craftsman—and sets it up in secret.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’

1 Kings 12:28-30
After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves and said to the people, “Going up to Jerusalem is too much for you. Here, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” / One calf he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan. / And this thing became a sin; the people walked as far as Dan to worship before one of the calves.

2 Kings 17:10-12
They set up for themselves sacred pillars and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree. / They burned incense on all the high places like the nations that the LORD had driven out before them. They did wicked things, provoking the LORD to anger. / They served idols, although the LORD had told them, “You shall not do this thing.”

Isaiah 44:9-20
All makers of idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Their witnesses fail to see or comprehend, so they are put to shame. / Who fashions a god or casts an idol which profits him nothing? / Behold, all his companions will be put to shame, for the craftsmen themselves are only human. Let them all assemble and take their stand; they will all be brought to terror and shame. ...

Hosea 8:4-6
They set up kings, but not by Me. They make princes, but without My approval. With their silver and gold they make themselves idols, to their own destruction. / He has rejected your calf, O Samaria. My anger burns against them. How long will they be incapable of innocence? / For this thing is from Israel—a craftsman made it, and it is not God. It will be broken to pieces, that calf of Samaria.

2 Chronicles 33:6-7
He sacrificed his sons in the fire in the Valley of Ben-hinnom. He practiced sorcery, divination, and witchcraft, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did great evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger. / Manasseh even took the carved image he had made and set it up in the house of God, of which God had said to David and his son Solomon, “In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will establish My Name forever.

Psalm 115:4-8
Their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. / They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see; / they have ears, but cannot hear; they have noses, but cannot smell; ...

Jeremiah 10:3-5
For the customs of the peoples are worthless; they cut down a tree from the forest; it is shaped with a chisel by the hands of a craftsman. / They adorn it with silver and gold and fasten it with hammer and nails, so that it will not totter. / Like scarecrows in a cucumber patch, their idols cannot speak. They must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them, for they can do no harm, and neither can they do any good.”

Acts 17:29
Therefore, being offspring of God, we should not think that the Divine Being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by man’s skill and imagination.

Romans 1:22-23
Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools, / and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images of mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

1 Corinthians 10:19-20
Am I suggesting, then, that food sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? / No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God. And I do not want you to be participants with demons.

Galatians 4:8
Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods.

Colossians 3:5
Put to death, therefore, the components of your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry.

1 John 5:21
Little children, keep yourselves from idols.


Treasury of Scripture

And the man Micah had an house of gods, and made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.

Judges 18:24
And he said, Ye have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and ye are gone away: and what have I more? and what is this that ye say unto me, What aileth thee?

Genesis 31:30
And now, though thou wouldest needs be gone, because thou sore longedst after thy father's house, yet wherefore hast thou stolen my gods?

Ezra 1:7
Also Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of the LORD, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought forth out of Jerusalem, and had put them in the house of his gods;

ephod

Judges 8:27
And Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city, even in Ophrah: and all Israel went thither a whoring after it: which thing became a snare unto Gideon, and to his house.

Judges 18:14
Then answered the five men that went to spy out the country of Laish, and said unto their brethren, Do ye know that there is in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and a graven image, and a molten image? now therefore consider what ye have to do.

Exodus 28:4,15
And these are the garments which they shall make; a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office…

teraphim

Genesis 31:19,30
And Laban went to shear his sheep: and Rachel had stolen the images that were her father's…

Hosea 3:4
For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim:

consecrated.

Exodus 29:9
And thou shalt gird them with girdles, Aaron and his sons, and put the bonnets on them: and the priest's office shall be theirs for a perpetual statute: and thou shalt consecrate Aaron and his sons.

1 Kings 12:31
And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi.

1 Kings 13:33,34
After this thing Jeroboam returned not from his evil way, but made again of the lowest of the people priests of the high places: whosoever would, he consecrated him, and he became one of the priests of the high places…

his sons

Exodus 24:5
And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the LORD.

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Consecrated Consecrateth Ephod Hand House Household Idols Installed Maketh Micah Position Priest Shrine Teraphim
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Judges 17
1. Of the money that Micah first stole, then restored, his mother makes idols
5. And he makes ornaments for them
7. He hires a Levite to be his priest














Now this man Micah
The name "Micah" is derived from the Hebrew "Mikha," meaning "Who is like Yahweh?" This rhetorical question underscores the uniqueness and incomparability of God. However, the actions of Micah in this narrative reveal a disconnect between his name's meaning and his spiritual practices. Historically, the period of the Judges was marked by a cycle of disobedience and idolatry among the Israelites, reflecting a time when "everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 21:25). Micah's account is a microcosm of this larger national trend.

had a shrine
The Hebrew word for "shrine" is "bayit," which typically means "house" or "dwelling." In this context, it refers to a private place of worship, which was contrary to the centralized worship that God had commanded at the Tabernacle. Archaeologically, evidence of household shrines from this period has been found, indicating that such practices were not uncommon. This highlights the syncretism and deviation from true worship that plagued Israel during the time of the Judges.

and he made an ephod
The "ephod" was a priestly garment, originally designed by God for the high priest (Exodus 28:6-14). Micah's creation of an ephod suggests an attempt to replicate legitimate worship practices in an unauthorized manner. This act reflects a misunderstanding or disregard for the sanctity and specificity of God's instructions regarding worship. It serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of creating religious practices based on personal preference rather than divine command.

and some household gods
The term "household gods" translates the Hebrew "teraphim," which were small idols or figurines used for divination or as protective talismans. The presence of these idols in Micah's home indicates a blending of pagan practices with the worship of Yahweh, a direct violation of the first and second commandments (Exodus 20:3-4). This syncretism was a recurring issue for Israel, leading them away from exclusive devotion to God.

and ordained one of his sons as his priest
The act of ordaining his son as a priest was a direct violation of the Levitical priesthood established by God, which was reserved for the descendants of Aaron (Exodus 28:1). This unauthorized ordination reflects the broader theme of spiritual anarchy during the time of the Judges. It underscores the importance of adhering to God's established order and the dangers of self-appointed spiritual leadership.

(5) Had an house of gods.--The Hebrew is Beth Elohim, which may mean equally well "a house of God" (Vulg., ?diculam Deo, and so too the LXX.). It is quite clear that Micah did not abandon the worship of God under the names of Jehovah and Elohim, by which He was known to the Israelites. How he coordinated this worship with his grossly idolatrous symbols, or whom those symbols were intended to represent, it is impossible to say. The fact remains that in the Beth-Micah we find "a house of gods"--"whole chapel of idols"--consecrated to Jehovah as a pious act (Judges 17:2; Judges 17:5; Judges 17:13; Judges 18:6).

An ephod.--No doubt the ephod was nothing more than a gorgeous priestly garment, though possibly it may have been used for oracular purposes. (See Judges 8:27.) . . .

Verse 5. - And the man Micah, etc. It is impossible to say for certain whether the state of things here described in respect of Micah preceded the events narrated in the preceding verses, or was consequent upon them. If it preceded, then we have the reason of his mother's vow: she wished to make her son's "house of God" complete by the addition of a graven and molten image. If it was consequent upon his mother's vow, then we have in the opening verses of this chapter a history of the circumstances of the foundation of Micah's "house of God," which was to play an important part in the colony of Danites, whose proceedings arc related in the following chapter, and for the sake of which this domestic history of Micah is introduced. House of gods. Rather, of God (Elohim); for the worship was of Jehovah, only with a corrupt and semi-idolatrous ceremonial. An ephod. See Judges 8:26, 27, note. Teraphim. See Genesis 31:19 (images, A.V.; teraphim, Hebrews); 1 Samuel 15:23 (idolatry, A.V.; teraphim, Hebrews); 19:13 (an image, A.V.; teraphim, Hebrews); Hosea 3:4,to etc. They seem to have been a kind of Penates, or household gods, and were used for divination (Ezekiel 21:21; Zechariah 10:2). Became his priest. One function of the priest, and for which it is likely he was much resorted to, was to inquire of God by the ephod (Judges 18:5, 6). What his other duties might be does not appear.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Now this man
וְהָאִ֣ישׁ (wə·hā·’îš)
Conjunctive waw, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

Micah
מִיכָ֔ה (mî·ḵāh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 4318: Micah -- the name of several Israelites

had a shrine,
בֵּ֣ית (bêṯ)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1004: A house

and he made
וַיַּ֤עַשׂ (way·ya·‘aś)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6213: To do, make

an ephod
אֵפוֹד֙ (’ê·p̄ō·wḏ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 646: A girdle, the ephod, highpriest's shoulder-piece, an image

and some household idols,
וּתְרָפִ֔ים (ū·ṯə·rā·p̄îm)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 8655: (a kind of idol) perhaps household idol

and installed
וַיְמַלֵּ֗א (way·mal·lê)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 4390: To fill, be full of

one
אַחַד֙ (’a·ḥaḏ)
Number - masculine singular
Strong's 259: United, one, first

of his sons
מִבָּנָ֔יו (mib·bā·nāw)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 1121: A son

to be
וַיְהִי־ (way·hî-)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

his priest.
לְכֹהֵֽן׃ (lə·ḵō·hên)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3548: Priest


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OT History: Judges 17:5 The man Micah had a house (Jd Judg. Jdg)
Judges 17:4
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